


Twin-Tuition

by luckycatlily



Category: Red vs. Blue
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-31
Updated: 2018-01-31
Packaged: 2019-03-11 17:54:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13529526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luckycatlily/pseuds/luckycatlily
Summary: AU where South and Wash get Iota and Eta respectively and end up becoming closer as a family





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> posting this here in honor of 200 followers on my rvb blog @kaikaina-grif :D

South let in a sharp inhale. She felt a warm tingle start from the base of her neck and warm her entire body. South knew that Iota was watching through her eyes, deciding whether not to make a grand appearance. It had taken a few weeks before South grew accustomed to having someone else in her head, but now South and Iota were going to destroy North and Wash in a good old fashioned game of poker.  


They watched Wash with skeptic eyes, a killer poker face that South had perfected after years of practice. North gave a glance at his hand, then to Wash and South receptively, waiting to see when the other would crack. Wash’s left eye hadn’t quiet stopped twitching since he’d gotten Eta, but, for the moment, they seemed to burn holes through the cards he held so tightly. Eta was out of sight, no doubt running all the negative possibilities as Theta and Iota were doing as well.  


Iota giggled in South’s head. "He’s going to fall for it."

"No way, he’s not that stupid." It took everything in South not to jump up and start laughing, and as she glanced at North she knew he felt it too.  
Wash, probably feeling Iota’s humor through Eta, glanced up and caught North’s eye. North- the smug bastard- winked at Wash, if a bit flirtatiously. South rolled her eyes as Wash’s face turned a slight pink. Finally, he moved a few of his meager chips into the large pile in the center.  


South showed her hand. A queen of spades, jack of diamonds, ten of clubs, nine of spades, and an eight of hearts. The only thing straight at the table.  


Wash showed his hand. A fucking royal flush, go figure. South hit the table with her fist as Wash took the impressive pile of chips closer to himself. North leaned back, hands to his face.

“There’s no way you got a goddamn win twice in a row! You fucking cheated!”

“Don’t hate the player, hate the game,” Wash said, sticking his tongue out at her. That meant that she had this week’s cleaning duty for the second time in a row. She turned to glare at North, who up until the end had the largest pile. “I don’t suppose you’re actually going to help me this time, are you?” 

North opened his mouth to say something but Theta popped into view, congratulating Eta and Wash on their win. Eta’s timid form blinked into view, along with Iota’s as they began talking about the statistics possibilities of each one of them having a royal flush at the same time. 

“Can’t help today, I’ve got some training to catch up on , you know how it is,” North’s smug composure ticked South off more than the actual losing, and he knew it. 

Theta looked up at her. "You know, you could have won if you had gone a turn earlier, or maybe hadn’t bet so much in the first place."

South rolled her eyes. “Thanks tech kid, when I need a lecture on how I spend my time, I’ll just ask North.” 

North merely waved her off as he got up to leave, not bothering to clean up the huge pile of chips he had just won. Wash watched him, with a sort of fondness South had come to expect in moments like these. 

“Don’t let it get to your head though, rookie.” South whispered to Wash, snapping his attention back to her. “You’ve still got a long ways to go.”

He seemed to understand what she meant, and sighed. “Do you think I have a chance? Honestly?” 

“Honestly, no. He’s way outside of your league.” Her tone softened, just a little bit. “At least, for now. If you stay on your toes… who knows? But if I so much as see you two fucking giving each other bedroom eyes in the middle of a debriefing or have to hear you’re pillow talk in the middle of a mission, I swear to God I’ll break your nose.” 

Wash, looking a little more hopeful, nodded. Eta blinked in, onto his shoulder and waved goodbye to South and Iota (the latter of which waved back), as he got up to leave, but he hesitating at the door. 

“Hey South?“ 

“Yeah?”

"Have fun cleaning up the mess later,“ he grinned evilly. 

"Don’t push your fucking luck, kid.” And she threw a handful of chips at a now empty space as Wash ran off to catch a snack at the mess hall.


	2. Chapter 2

"That was a great performance today, Agent South! 20% overall improvement from last week. There is still room for improvement, as always, but I really think this new update has been a great development for the both of us… "

Iota chattered on in South’s ear. South wasn’t really paying attention, and trusted that everything Iota was saying was true and all, but Iota’s listless chattering about pointless statics and useless data was all because of her nervousness due to the most recent mission, which South wouldn’t have normally cared about, except for the fact that they had sent Maine and Wash. And, by extension, Eta.

She knew what it was like to miss North whenever they were younger, whenever their mother decided she wanted only him over for the week instead of the both of them, so she could sympathize with Iota’s loneliness, but on the other hand…

"Have I ever told you about the time that Eta managed to enhance Agent Washington’s shield recharge capacity by .567%? Or that Eta…"

If South had to hear one more hear one more goddamn thing about Eta, she was personally going to kill Wash, the Director, and then herself.

She took a deep breathe, calming herself before she lashed out and did something she would definitely regret. She’d been practicing, and it was always easier to try new stuff with Iota than any of the Freelancers. “Iota, I’m sure Wash and Eta are both fine. They have Maine with them, and that crazy nut would rather throw himself into the ocean than let anyone get so much as a scratch on Wash, let alone E.”

"I know this, Agent South. I’m not worried as much as I am excited. That’s what you call this, right? Iota popped into view in front of South, about eye level. She seemed to let off a golden glow that pulsed like an electric current. If what I am feeling is excitement, then what Eta feels is restlessness, maybe even anxiety."  


South gave a grimace out of sympathy for Wash. Poor kid already had enough to deal with, and on top it all of, a mental breakdown waiting to happen implanted into his brain. Better him than her though. 

"I find it interesting, if not a bit strange, how much you have taken a brotherhood with Agent Washington since his assignment to Eta," Iota began, reappearing to sit on South’s shoulder, kicking her feet like a child. "Would you say, that because of Eta and I’s influence, you two have become… maybe, twins too? In a sense?"

“Pfft,” South scoffed and rolled her eyes, “Like I need another babysitter to police and breathe down my neck.”

"No no, silly. In this case, i suppose you would be the 'babysitter'." Iota even did finger quotations to emphasize her point.

“As if that makes it any better,” South stuck her tongue out as Iota giggled, and turned a corner into the mess hall. It was empty today. Perfect.

She made her way to the furthermost table and plopped down, grabbing an old candy bar she had saved and began to munch on it. She gave a glance at Iota who was still happily kicking her legs on South’s shoulder, a habit she probably picked up from Theta.

“Hey I.T. I got a question for ya.” South said, in between bites. She’d probably regret not enjoying her candy bar, but she’d have time to be mad about it later.

"Shoot."

“So if I’m supposedly becoming like a big sister to Wash, does that mean you’re closer with Theta now too?”

"Nope."

South snorted, making pieces of food fly across the table. She let out a loud laugh that echoed through the empty hall, her mood probably heightened by Iota tampering with a few chemicals in her head or something. She didn’t know and didn’t care.

Iota beamed at her, quiet literally, letting of a bright yellow glow as she disappeared from South’s shoulder and popped back into view on the table in front of her. 

"Just kidding. Yes, Agent South, I am becoming closer with Theta. They’re very sweet, you know. But, he did try to teach me to skateboard. It didn’t end well."

“You’re a hologram!” South pointed accusingly at her A.I. with her candy bar. “You could do literally anything you wanted to do and be fucking amazing at it.”

Iota’s light dimmed for a second. "Anything at all, except be whole again."

South groaned. “Not you too. North says Delta and Theta are both crazy about that. It’s just a myth I.T.”

Before Iota could reply, a loud ping went off, an alert of some sort. Iota checked it, and gasped excitedly. "They’re back! They’re in Hanger 12!"

South shoved the rest of her bar in her mouth, and with a shared rush of Iota’s excitement, started running through the Mother of Invention, making her way to Hanger 12. “Any news on their condition? Mission success? Talk to me I.T.”

"Oh, right! Yes… Mission successful, Wash and Maine’s positions on the leaderboard will reflect accordingly… Oh, no…" 

White-hot panic stabbed through South’s gut. “‘Oh,no’? Oh, no what Iota, what happened.”

"Official report says they were ambush on their way back. They’re on their way to the medbay. We have to- we gotta- they…"

“Relax, I.T. Let them know we’re on our way.” South pivoted and bolted to the medbay, Iota dimly enhancing her speed that would’ve freaked her out had she not been already slightly panicking. “We’re on our way.”


End file.
